School District approves $59.15 million budget

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Property owners who reside in the Wisconsin Rapids Public School District can expect to see an increase on their tax bills next year after the School Board approved a new levy rate at its budget meeting Monday.

The levy is expected to raise $22.17 million, up 1 percent from last year’s levy of $21.95 million.

The School Board also approved a 2014-15 district budget of roughly $59.15 million, down from last year’s budget of $61.9 million.

The district’s declining budget stems from its dwindling student population. In 2013-14, the district served 5,275 students in Wisconsin Rapids, Biron, Rudolph, Vesper and all or portions of 11 surrounding townships. Despite small fluctuations, its student body size has declined steadily for the past 15 years.

“We have been declining precipitously and that has added to our budget challenges,” said Daniel Weigand, director of business services at WRPS.

Not only has enrollment been declining, but the district’s membership is in jeopardy as well. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction uses a membership count to determine the total revenue a school can accumulate from the local tax levy and state aid.

“The bodies that they count for state aid has dropped even more rapidly (than student enrollment),” Weigand said about district membership.

This year, the district will get more than $21.1 million, or about 35.32 percent, of its revenue from local sources, with roughly $20.7 million coming from property taxes. Approximately $34.84 million, or 58.15 percent, of the general fund budget comes from state sources.

The budget’s largest expenses are salaries, which encompass 48.92 percent of the operating budget, and employee benefits, at 21.49 percent. Together, they comprise 82.4 percent of the general fund budget.